Simplification.
This seems to
be the common theme in the newest expansion to be added to the World of
Warcraft legacy; Mists of Pandaria. From the major changes coming to
the player talent system, to the smaller changes seen in the U.I.,
simplification the name of the game when it comes to Mists of Pandaria.
Elimination of the unneeded and outdated is what Blizzard has in mind,
except when it comes to secondary resource systems.

Secondary resource systems are
those handy little things that players use to fuel their various
abilities combined with primary resources such as energy, mana, and
rage. Secondary resources currently found in the game can be seen in
the combo points used by the Rogue and Feral Druid or in the Runes used
by Death Knights. Making use of these extra resources is something the
player typically either loves or hates. However, players could simply
avoid the few classes that used them if they so desired. That
is…until now.

With the introduction of Mists
of Pandaria, players will find that these “extra”
resources are not just for Rogues, Feral Druids, and Death Knights
anymore. Warlocks will now use Burning Embers to fuel their spells of
darkness while Priests will tap into their revamped Shadow Orbs. As for
the Monk, the newest class to be added to World of Warcraft, a new
secondary resource system has been developed called Chi. So much for
simplification. Get a head start on learning to use this brand new
resource below.

The Monk and Chi in Mists of
Pandaria

Monk Chi Basics

Chi is the extra secondary
resource system that will be used to power the spells and abilities of
all three (Brewmaster, Windwalker, and Mistweaver) Monk specializations
in Mists of Pandaria. Working alongside energy, or mana in the case of
the Windwalker Monk, Chi will help to power the various spells and
abilities that the Monk can perform. Taking on the form of a four point
system, Chi most resembles the Paladin’s Holy Power resource.

Some Monk abilities will earn
the player a Chi point, while other abilities will require a set amount
of these points to activate. Chi points are stored on the Monk, meaning
they remain no matter how many targets the Monk chooses to take on. A
vast difference from Combat Points, used by the Rogue and Feral Druid,
which are stored on each individual target.

alt="" src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/230826">

Chi
is displayed by four dots below the Monk's nameplate.

Monk Chi Generation

At level 30 the Monk will gain
access to several talents that can help generate more Chi, however,
this alone is not enough to power the Monk’s arsenal of
abilities. Instead the Monk must rely on other abilities that generate
Chi instead of consuming it. Which abilities you will ultimately want
to use depends on which specialization you choose.

Brewmasters
and Winderwalkers

For these two Monk
specializations, Jab, will be the primary provider of Chi. Generating a
whopping two Chi, Jab is far superior to any other Chi producing
ability. Don’t panic, playing these specs won’t be
a Jab spam fest. To make things more interesting Jab comes in various
forms such as Clobber, Slice, or Sever.

Like most good things, Blizzard
doesn’t want you to use Jab in excess. Therefore, thanks to
the limitations of energy regeneration, players will find that Jab is
simply not spammable. Instead, these two Monk specializations will need
to rely on other Chi producing abilities such as; Expel Harm and Keg
Throw (Brewmaster), during Jab’s inevitable downtime.

Mistweaver

Mistweavers are the healers of
the bunch and not surprisingly Chi generation for this bunch is a bit
more complicated. Unlike Windwalkers and Brewmasters, Mistweavers rely
on mana as their primary resource. Mistweavers rely less on Chi and
more heavily on mana than their energy using brethren, however, that is
not to say that Chi is not important to these healing
Pandaren.

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While
some spells and abilities generate Chi, others consume it such as this
powerful heal used by Mistweavers.

To generate the Chi needed to
power their abilities, Mistwalkers will rely on a combination of two
spells; Surging Mists and Soothing Mists. Surging mists is the
Monk’s large, expensive heal that really cannot be spammed.
To generate Chi regularly Mistweavers will turn to Soothing Mists, a
channeled heal over time spell that is far less mana intensive. The
catch here is that Soothing Mists only has a chance to produce Chi with
each tick meaning that the Monk will need to keep a close eye on their
Chi and make intelligent choices when using these spells.

Monk Chi Usage

Using Chi is, thankfully, far
less complicated than earning it. Each specialization has distinctive
abilities that can only be powered by using stored Chi. These abilities
will each have a distinctive moment during an encounter when the player
will find the need to use them. Examples of these abilities include
Rising Sun Kick, a damage ability used by Windwalkers, Elusive Brew,
used by Brewmasters for additional survivability, and Uplift, a AoE
heal used by Mistweavers.

Each of the spells mentioned
above will easily fit into a player’s regular game play. Due
to this usefulness, those that choose the Monk will want to be able to
use these abilities at will. To do this the Monk should keep 2-3 Chi
active at all times and spend down as the current fight dictates.
Remember, Chi is what truly makes the Monk’s world go round.

How do you feel about Chi, the
brand new extra secondary resource being introduced in World of
Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria? Was this new resource needed or could
Monks have made due with one of the resources already active in game?
Share your thoughts in the comments section below!